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Antimalarial properties of green tea.

Sannella AR, Messori L, Casini A, Francesco Vincieri F, Bilia AR, Majori G, Severini C

Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Vector-Borne Diseases and International Health Section, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.

We show here that a crude extract of green tea as well as two of its main constituents, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG), strongly inhibit Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro. Both these catechins are found to potentiate the antimalarial effects of artemisinin without interfering with the folate pathway. The importance of these findings and their mechanistic implications are discussed in view of future therapeutic strategies.

Published 25 December 2006 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 353(1): 177-81.
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